The only problem with this is that if someone steals your iPhone, they just have to turn this feature off... right? Even if it's password protected, couldn't they just restore the iPhone and then turn it off?

If this is the case, it seems to me that this would only be helpful for a lost iPhone... unless whoever steals it doesn't know about this feature.

Good point. Hopefully, once the feature is activated, MobileMe has the ability to keep track of the iPhone's last-known location every hour (or shorter interval).

The only problem with this is that if someone steals your iPhone, they just have to turn this feature off... right? Even if it's password protected, couldn't they just restore the iPhone and then turn it off?

If this is the case, it seems to me that this would only be helpful for a lost iPhone... unless whoever steals it doesn't know about this feature.

From what I remember seeing on an episode of "Forensic Files", there are some cell phones that still "ping" the nearest tower even if turned off. The only sure way to keep a cell phone from revealing it's location is to remove the battery. But you can't remove the battery on an iPhone. So theoretically, you can still track an iPhone, even if it's off. Maybe not with GPS accuracy. But at least to the general location.

Quote:

Originally Posted by admactanium

Thieves have been dumb enough to use stolen phones and laptops completely unchanged. There are plenty of stories about it. One person recovered their SideKick because the thief started taking pictures of herself with it. SideKicks send their info up to the "cloud" so that it's all available from a web browser. Someone else got tracked by using the built-in iSight of a laptop. Besides, the thief wold have to turn it off immediately upon stealing it. Even if they just ran away with it and got back to their place before messing with it it would already be too late for them.

There's a story in the news today, (in San Francisco), about a car theif that was caught at the DMV trying to register an auto that he carjacked. The clerk ran the plate (or VIN) and it came back stolen. When the police got there he was still in line.

Ok, so where is this feature for their MacBooks? Hell, Apple won't even track stolen serial numbers to see if they get serviced. I had my MacBook stolen last year and it would be nice to be able to at least grab the IP address of the dickhead who is using it.

Well to be fair, MacBooks don't have GPS (although they might in the near future). There are also a lot of idiots that think the IP address is some kind of "personal information" making a IP tracking thing questionable enough not to be implemented.

In Windows, a window can be a document, it can be an application, or it can be a window that contains other documents or applications. Theres just no consistency. Its just a big grab bag of monkey...

This would be way useful if I could go to me.com and it would say something like, "it's under the middle couch cushion" or, "you left it in your car, idiot." Otherwise, this doesn't do a whole lot for me.

This strikes me as one of those "useless until you need it" kind of features.

I dropped my white iphone in a parking lot, while it was snowing no less. I found it eventually, but not after checking multiple parking lots.

Would've saved me a lot of time, and not left it sitting in the cold for an hour. And probably being run over few times. It still works, but i got a few dead pixels now.

This would be way useful if I could go to me.com and it would say something like, "it's under the middle couch cushion" or, "you left it in your car, idiot." Otherwise, this doesn't do a whole lot for me.

you would have to have access to your daughter's iPhone to turn on the service and enter your mobileme account info. so your daughter would just be able to turn off the service. why would you want to track your daugher to see if she's at school or not anyway?
if my daughter doesn't want to go to school, it's fine with me. it's her life.
i would never let my daughter force me to attend something for years and years because that would be slavery, so there's no way i'd do that cruel thing to her.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sabon

Does this mean I can track ANY iPhone attached to my Mobile me account. Such as family members phones?

Such as, my daughter is supposed to be at school but someone called and said she was at the mall or at someone's house she isn't supposed to be at. Would I be able to find out where she is at?

Hopefully, use of the remote-wipe feature for a lost or stolen iPhone will not cause the MobileMe user's cloud and other devices linked to that cloud to be remote-wiped during ongoing sync, push, or fetches.

The only problem with this is that if someone steals your iPhone, they just have to turn this feature off... right? Even if it's password protected, couldn't they just restore the iPhone and then turn it off?

If this is the case, it seems to me that this would only be helpful for a lost iPhone... unless whoever steals it doesn't know about this feature.

What if the feature was controlled from the other end? In other words, you turn it off and on via the MobileMe web interface. That way it can't be turned off by a thief or an AWOL daughter on Saturday night.

What about the reverse? You learn that your Back-to-my-Mac enabled Mac computer is stolen and, using the iPhone in your pocket, you activate a special app (or service?) to locate the Mac when it shows up on the Internet.

Actually this is already available in MacTrak ( http://www.gadgettrak.com/products/mac ), the Mac does not have GPS like the iPpone, however it uses Wi-Fi positioning to get location like the first generation iPhone and iPod Touch with accuracy around 10-20 meters. It is not integrated with MobileMe, but Flickr instead...which I think is better as it is free and I don't have to pay the $99 annual fee for MobileMe.

What I would like to see for the iPhone is the ability to remotely wipe data.

Well to be fair, MacBooks don't have GPS (although they might in the near future). There are also a lot of idiots that think the IP address is some kind of "personal information" making a IP tracking thing questionable enough not to be implemented.

Macs don't have GPS, but MacTrak is close http://www.gadgettrak.com/products/mac it uses wi-fi positioning. It is accurate to about 10-20 meters, but the nice thing is it works indoors unlike GPS.

It has to do with Apple adding features to Mobile me, which is why I thought it more than apt to mention. While they are adding these small little features they could be adding bigger ones. Handy feature, I suppose. For myself though, I'd much prefer remote-wipe. I'd MUCH rather lose my phone and not get it back than anyone getting access to my data.

If you enable the wipe after 10 incorrect codes feature, I doubt anyone who steals it will ever see your data. There is no warning, apparently, if it's set. So, it would be highly likely to be wiped as they tried a few codes such as 1234, 2009, etc... Still, I suppose if the right person stole it they could somehow retrieve it using another computer. But definitely not your average computer user (or thief for that matter). Just don't set this feature if your kids like to pick it up...

If you enable the wipe after 10 incorrect codes feature, I doubt anyone who steals it will ever see your data. There is no warning, apparently, if it's set. So, it would be highly likely to be wiped as they tried a few codes such as 1234, 2009, etc... Still, I suppose if the right person stole it they could somehow retrieve it using another computer. But definitely not your average computer user (or thief for that matter). Just don't set this feature if your kids like to pick it up...

I want the iPhone to be marketed broadly as the world's most unstealable phone. And I want the muggers to be the target of the advertising. I want them all to tell eachother that there's no way you should ever steal an iPhone, cos if you do, the police will know where you are, and it will record your voice, and take photos, maybe even use face recognition software to snap your friends and email them to the police. The GPS will record all the locations you spend time and maybe even predict where you are going to be. I want them to give up BEFORE they stab me.

Now if only we didn't have a government that abducts people for torture, this would be perfect !

Many of the most important software concepts were invented in the 70s and forgotten in the 80s.

really? so you believe in slavery? it's not like school only lasts for 1 day, it goes on for years dude. would you like it if there was a law that said when your 18 or over you have to serve in the army for 10 years? you'd be a minority if you supported something like that dude.lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

You are either very irresponsible, or very stupid. Perhaps both. And, it would be illegal in the US.

(One more thing: I'll give you the benefit of doubt and assume you feel the same way if it was your son too.)

to turn something on from mobileme you would need to have it enabled in the iPhone. if this wasn't the case, i could over-hear you tell your friend your cellphone number, i could then go home and type in your cellphone number into my mobileme account and track you without you knowing.
you would always need authorization from the iPhone dude.

Quote:

Originally Posted by techno

What if the feature was controlled from the other end? In other words, you turn it off and on via the MobileMe web interface. That way it can't be turned off by a thief or an AWOL daughter on Saturday night.

In Canada, in Quebec province, you can't use mobile phone in a car without a handfree system. And more, for acces to 911 urgence service by cellphone, this function must be on use... And, voice dial his an essential fonction! Like i haved in the on the LG Phone on Bell network. Now, i am on Rogers with my iPhone and I can only recevie phone call by Jawbone, in my car... or when i must call my wife from the grocerie Jean Melançon

I want the iPhone to be marketed broadly as the world's most unstealable phone. And I want the muggers to be the target of the advertising. I want them all to tell eachother that there's no way you should ever steal an iPhone, cos if you do, the police will know where you are, and it will record your voice, and take photos, maybe even use face recognition software to snap your friends and email them to the police. The GPS will record all the locations you spend time and maybe even predict where you are going to be. I want them to give up BEFORE they stab me.

Now if only we didn't have a government that abducts people for torture, this would be perfect !

Hi! I need HELP! I have upgraded to 3.0 and have tried Find my iPhone and have remote wiped. for more than 2 hours. iTunes dont recognize my iPhone and I am not able neither to put it in DFU mode. Any ideas? Is my iPhone bricked???? Help!!!! Thank you!
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